Dye
by RobinSparkelz
Summary: Five times Sakura dyes her hair, and five times Sasuke has a different reaction. "Because I Fucking love your pink hair." AU One-shot. A Sasuke&Sakura story.


**Dye.**

 _ **By: RobinSparkelz**_

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

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Five times Sakura dyes her hair, and five times Sasuke has a different reaction. AU One-shot. A Sasuke&Sakura story.

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I.

The first time Sakura dyes her hair, she is thirteen and tired of all the incessant teasing about her pink hair. It is the holiday before the start of high school and she convinces her mother to leave her alone at the hair salon. She dyes it black erasing every trace of pastel pink.

It is a huge adjustment and except for her eyes she doesn't recognize herself, still, she doesn't feel an ounce of regret, even when her mother blows a gasket and grounds her for the few remaining days left of the holiday.

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When _Sasuke_ sees Sakura on the first day of school, he doesn't recognize her. She slides into the chair next to him and at first he thinks it is a brave fangirl and curses the fact that none of his friends are in the same homeroom as him but then she speaks, a familiar voice that chimes a:

"Hello Sasuke-kun."

He turns, his eyes wide in disbelief, his voice incredulous and says, "Sakura?"

"Its me Sasuke-kun." She murmurs shyly, twirling a tendril of coal black hair around her finger.

"I dyed my hair." She says.

"Do you like it?"

Sasuke surveys the girl who is not quite his friend but somehow more than an acquaintance. He takes in her wide forehead, perfectly arched and dyed black brows and pin straight sheet of ebony hair, before looking directly into her eyes and saying, "No, I don't like it at all."

He watches her face flush in mortification and wishes that somehow he could explain that it is not because she looks bad, but because he secretly adored her pink hair and used it as a beacon to identify her, and that he almost stooped low enough to ask Naruto where she was when he couldn't spot her at assembly that morning, but Sasuke has never being the most emotionally apt person, so he says nothing.

They do not talk until the next year.

II

The next time Sakura dyes her hair, she cuts it too. She watches as they chop off her black locks until they sit stylishly just above her shoulder, the hair dresser curls the ends making it look slightly shorter then it actually is and compliments her on how well strawberry blonde suits her complexion.

This time, when Sakura looks into the mirror and sees the hints of pink swirling into golden blonde, she smiles, a hard brittle smile that threatens to fall apart as she recalls Ino's announcement. She is happy for her friend, truly, and cutting of her hair symbolizes not only a fresh start but letting go too.

She touches the slight hints of pink in her hair, a sign of accepting who she is, and who she is, _**is**_ strong. That means she doesn't cry when she sees Sasuke and Ino walking hand in hand into the restaurant after school, and her smile never wavers when they kiss in front of her, not for a second.

She notices Sasuke staring at her new hair, but last year is a long time ago and she doesn't ask him if he likes it.

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Sasuke notice how pretty Sakura looks with short hair, how it turns pinky red in the sun and dark gold in the shade. He notices her prominent cheekbones and her full lips and pretends he doesn't imagine he's kissing her when he kisses Ino.

When they are grouped together for their history assignment he secretly glows with happiness, but Sakura douses any hope of rekindling their tenuous past friendship when she efficiently separates their work and tells him they'll meet by the end of the week to put it all together.

When the end of the week comes, it takes them less than half and hour to arrange the assignment, but Sasuke wants Sakura to talk to him in full sentences that don't include anything about their history assignment, so he blurts out the first thing that comes to mind.

"What do you think I should get Ino for her birthday?"

That turns out to be _**thee**_ worst question he could have asked, but Sakura keeps her expression neutral and tells him that Ino would love some new art supplies that are out of her budget - but that she's been wanting for a while.

She writes down the name of the paints and the stores name and hands it to him, then she hastily exits with a mumbled excuse and leaves only the scent of her perfume behind.

Sasuke clutches the slip of paper, internally berating himself for his idiocy and tries not to remember Sakura's look of absolute hurt that she thought he didn't see.

He cannot get the image out of his head for days.

III

Sakura auditions for the high school play and instead of wearing the honey brown wig, she dyes her already fading strawberry blonde hair brown. Sasuke co-directs the play with Kakashi, which basically means he does all the work. It is during this time that they come to an unspoken truce, and while they are both not friends, they are civil enough to one another that they even greet each other in the hallways.

She can tell he doesn't like when she dyes her hair, but she can't quite fathom why, still, she doesn't let it bother her and the play provides a nice enough distraction, that she doesn't question the potential risk of her heart breaking for him, all over again.

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Opening night is a success and swept up in the heady atmosphere of celebration he hugs Sakura.

When Ino witnesses the hug, innocent albeit more passionate and intimate than a hug should be, she wastes no time in throwing out accusations that mostly include Sakura seducing Sasuke. Ino is irreconcilable and when he questions why she refuses to believe them, her answer is short, concise and explains everything.

"Because Sakura is in love with you."

He had suspected, yes. But the confirmation of his suspicions winds him completely, he turns to Sakura, expects to find denial on her face but the only thing visible is betrayal and accusation, as she stares at her best friends unrelenting face before whirling around and leaving without a

word.

IV

When Sakura buys a box of ice blonde hair dye she buys it with only one goal, revenge.

She knows how much Ino loves her hair color and while there are many blondes at school, Ino has made sure that everyone knows she's got the _shiniest_ and _prettiest_ blonde hair **ever** created.

So it is with vindictive pleasure that Sakura flounces into the cafeteria, with her chest length blonde hair woven with pretty flowers, and her lips painted a scandalous shade of red, she doesn't avoid Ino's gaze, no, she walks straight up to her, winks and pops one of her fries into her mouth and she hopes Ino feels the burn of her betrayal, and all for what. A boy.

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Sasuke is leaning against his locker when she emerges from the stairwell. It is purely coincidence, since Sakura has avoided him like the plague since the incident. The hallway is empty and he expects her to pretend that she hasn't seen him. Instead she flounces past him, ice blonde hair streaming behind her and winks at him.

"I dyed my hair Sasuke- _ **kun.**_ " She says.

"Do you _**like**_ it?"

Her tone is so condescending, it drips off the words, _**words**_ that echo an old conversation. She doesn't stop walking and she's halfway down the corridor when Sasuke decides he will **not** let _her_ have the last say.

As soon as he comes within arms reach of her, he grabs her arm, swings her around and slams her against a locker.

Her rage filled outcry is cut off when he presses himself against every soft curve of her body and leans down until there noses brush, she let's out a startled squeak at his actions, and her face flushes crimson. It is the first look of the old Sakura he has seen in years and he revels in her raw, real reaction and decides to impart some raw, real truth to her after all these years.

He leans in until his lips brush her ear and he can feel her shudder against him and then he speaks.

"No Sakura, I do not like your hair at all."

She let's out a growl of anger at that, and tries to shove him off but he only presses her harder against him and continues to speak.

"I don't like your fucking hair, because its not pink. Its not real and its not you, and by God Sakura I fucking loved your hair."

Sakura doesn't move, after his confession. He doesn't move, after his confession.

They just don't move.

V

The last time Sakura "dyes" her hair, it is to put hair dye remover in it. She watches with apprehension as her shoulder length pink hair becomes visible after so may years, it is a lighter pink - a pearly pastel pink - that falls in natural waves around her face, she adjust her bangs sweeping them slightly to the side not hiding her forehead but embracing it.

Embracing herself.

The first time Sasuke kisses Sakura is on a Monday morning in front of the entire school.

It happens when she opens the door to the cafeteria, and he see the pink hair he has dreamed about for so long.

He is oblivious to the crowd as he dips her down, threads his fingers through the softest hair he has ever felt and kisses her like a starving man.

Years later and Sasukes favorite image is of Sakura's pastel pink locks splayed across his pillow. He's never told her, but he figures somehow she knows.

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 **Note:** Just something quick, and reflective. I hope you enjoyed. Tell me what you think :)


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